Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogThu, 08 Dec 2016 18:09:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Pledge to Help Manatees in Floridahttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/pledge-to-help-manatees-in-florida/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/11/pledge-to-help-manatees-in-florida/#respondMon, 03 Nov 2014 20:12:48 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=101375Florida’s wildlife like manatees need our help on Election Day. Floridians can help protect habitat for endangered manatees by voting yes on Amendment 1, the Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment.

The roly-poly Florida manatees have fascinated people for centuries. Affectionately called the “sea cow”, adult manatees average ten feet in length and weigh between 800 to 1,200 pounds. The graceful creatures prefer shallow, slow-moving waters of rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas munching on aquatic plants such cordgrass, turtle grass and eelgrass.

Though manatees are protected under the Marine Mammal Act, there were an alarming number of manatee deaths in Florida in 2013. Before last year, there were roughly 5,000 manatees near Florida, the result of years of careful conservation efforts. Now all of this work is being thrown into jeopardy. Hunted in the past, they are now threatened by pollution and coastal development that are damaging their aquatic habitat. Together with the tragically growing number of stillborn and underweight calves, the manatees of Florida are clearly in crisis.

Sadly, the conservation funds that could be helping manatees by protecting important streams, wetlands, forests, and beaches have been taken away in recent years from conserving these critical habitat areas.

Pledge to Vote YES

Tomorrow, we can do something about the conservation funding issue when you vote yes to Florida’s Amendment 1. The Vote Yes on Amendment 1 campaign has diligently worked with Florida citizens to get an amendment put on the 2014 ballot that would protect conservation funding for the next twenty years.

Amendment 1 is not a tax, but it will secure one-third of the existing fees collected when real estate is sold to be directed towards conservation. This is the same funding source that Florida has used for conservation for more than two decades. The amendment will revive the state’s historic commitment to preserving natural lands and wildlife habitat without raising taxes.

By voting yes, we are saying YES to clean water, restoring our lakes, rivers, and streams, and helping save Florida’s endangered wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation and Florida Wildlife Federation strongly support the Vote Yes On Amendment 1 campaign. The incredible Jim Fowler, the former host of the Emmy-award winning Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom, has also announced his support for Amendment 1.

The Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment is a ballot initiative to stop the raiding of conservation funds and return to protecting important habitat areas.

Florida manatees are graceful creatures that have fascinated people for centuries, but currently pollution and coastal development are damaging their habitat. Manatees can be found swimming in the warm waterways and coastline of Florida, eating sea grass for up to 8 hours. The sea grass beds are vulnerable to pollution, and encroaching coastal developments are affecting the water quality in important manatee habitat areas. For nearly two decades, Florida supported conservation programs that acquired land to protect water quality and conserve important wildlife habitats for manatees and other important species.

In recent years, the funding that was intended for protecting important streams, wetlands, forests, and beaches has been diverted away from conservation. In fact, the Florida state legislature has cut conservation spending by nearly 98 percent. Florida, known for its breathtaking habitats and intriguing creatures, now spends less than one dollar per Floridian on conservation. We need to act now to restore funding to preserve our conservation legacy for the next generation before it’s too late.

Right now we have a chance to secure funding that will protect water quality and restore wildlife habitats by making sure the Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment appears on Florida’s 2014 state ballot. The Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment would amend the state constitution to safeguard conservation money—dedicating funds to help fish and wildlife habitats, protect water quality, restore the Everglades and much more.

Help build support for conservation!

Facebook: Spread the word by sharing this photo of an adorable manatee! Remind your friends to sign the petition when they see a volunteer on Election Day.

Don’t have Facebook? Send your friends an electronic postcard of a roly-poly manatee. Help support the Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment and encourage your friends to sign the petition on Election Day.

Volunteer: We need 50,000 more signatures by November 31st to get the Amendment reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court. With millions of Floridians headed to the polls on November 6, it may be our best chance at gathering the signatures needed. We know that with enough dedicated volunteers, we can reach our goal of 50,000 signatures. Sign up today!